Paula Lopez Home Safe After Family Reported Her Missing

KEYT Anchorwoman Paula Lopez is home safe and sound this morning, after she went missing all day yesterday. It went down like this:

Just after 10 yesterday morning, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office received a call from concerned family members that KEYT News Anchorwoman Paula Lopez was missing.

Lopez is a well-known and familiar face in the Santa Barbara community. Her last known location was at her home located near Cathedral Oaks Road and North San Marcos Road. The last time her family talked to her was at 9:30 a.m. No foul play was suspected but her family was concerned about her welfare.

After receiving the call, Deputies responded to her home and began looking for Ms. Lopez. Two K-9 units and a Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit helicopter were called in to assist with the search of her home and surrounding area.

At around 5:30 last night her family members called Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Public Safety Dispatch to report that she was home and safe. When deputies responded to her residence they confirmed she was there and no longer missing. Santa Barbara officials are not commenting on the reasons surrounding why Ms. Lopez went missing due to the fact it is a private family matter.

The family will not make any further comments regarding the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

Lopez began her career with KEYT in 1985 as an intern. She left to anchor in Los Angeles at KCAL, but returned to KEYT in 1996. She is married to Judge Frank Ochoa and has three children.